Danno O'Mahoney
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Wrestlers like Masahiko Kimura and Fred Beell both have moves named after them and both men are tragically neglected by the history books. Then you have this Irish guy who passed away on November 4, 1950. With the two aforementioned men you can I suppose kind of forgive them, the moves aren't all that commonly practiced in comparison. But the move named after this man is guaranteed to be used in pretty much every single wrestling match. That move is the Irish Whip.
Born on September 12, 1919 in Ireland, he worked on a farm growing up in between trying his hand at farm work. Feeling the need for a change he joined the National Army and set athletics records, including a hammer throw record that was unbroken until 1990.
His wrestling career started when Paul Bowser sent an associate over to Ireland to recruit a specific wrestler who was unattainable. Pointed in the direction of O'Mahoney, Bowser's associate quickly signed him up and started the training process while all the necessary paperwork was filed. It was felt by the promoter that a America was in desperate need of an Irish champion to appease the vast Irish immigrants there. O'Mahoney was signed to a contract worth $100,000+ over five years, that's $1,692,460.26+ in today's money.
From there Danno went on to wear the World Heavyweight Championship for just over six months after he arrived in the country. Danno wasn't just the world champion though, he had actually unified the three major branches that stood out making him the first widely (Not completely) recognized unified champion since Ed Don George first won the title in 1929. Unfortunately the run was not as highly profitable as had been hoped, not that it was terrible either, but mix that with politics behind the scenes and Danno ceased to be the unified champion within a year.
A few days shy of a full year and he had no claim to the World Heavyweight Championship at all. Although he'd continue to wrestle for the next 10+ years, Danno never really recaptured that original spurge onto the wrestling scene. Every now and again he'd bob back up into the main event picture for a short feud, then he'd drift back into middle of the card contests. In Ireland he had become a legend. Forever the Irish Whip would be named after him. He was one of the few men to be able to lay a claim to the original World Heavyweight Championship. It's possible there could even have been more to his story had he not died tragically upon returning to Ireland in a road accident.
Wrestlers like Masahiko Kimura and Fred Beell both have moves named after them and both men are tragically neglected by the history books. Then you have this Irish guy who passed away on November 4, 1950. With the two aforementioned men you can I suppose kind of forgive them, the moves aren't all that commonly practiced in comparison. But the move named after this man is guaranteed to be used in pretty much every single wrestling match. That move is the Irish Whip.
Born on September 12, 1919 in Ireland, he worked on a farm growing up in between trying his hand at farm work. Feeling the need for a change he joined the National Army and set athletics records, including a hammer throw record that was unbroken until 1990.
His wrestling career started when Paul Bowser sent an associate over to Ireland to recruit a specific wrestler who was unattainable. Pointed in the direction of O'Mahoney, Bowser's associate quickly signed him up and started the training process while all the necessary paperwork was filed. It was felt by the promoter that a America was in desperate need of an Irish champion to appease the vast Irish immigrants there. O'Mahoney was signed to a contract worth $100,000+ over five years, that's $1,692,460.26+ in today's money.
From there Danno went on to wear the World Heavyweight Championship for just over six months after he arrived in the country. Danno wasn't just the world champion though, he had actually unified the three major branches that stood out making him the first widely (Not completely) recognized unified champion since Ed Don George first won the title in 1929. Unfortunately the run was not as highly profitable as had been hoped, not that it was terrible either, but mix that with politics behind the scenes and Danno ceased to be the unified champion within a year.
A few days shy of a full year and he had no claim to the World Heavyweight Championship at all. Although he'd continue to wrestle for the next 10+ years, Danno never really recaptured that original spurge onto the wrestling scene. Every now and again he'd bob back up into the main event picture for a short feud, then he'd drift back into middle of the card contests. In Ireland he had become a legend. Forever the Irish Whip would be named after him. He was one of the few men to be able to lay a claim to the original World Heavyweight Championship. It's possible there could even have been more to his story had he not died tragically upon returning to Ireland in a road accident.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Biography of Danno O'Mahoney.
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: July 2014.
Biography: #106.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Updated: May 1, 2019.